. I'd already read this book a good few years ago, probably when I was about eleven years old. I remember being on holiday and my mum reading it by the pool, and I decided I'd give it a go.My younger self felt it was a funny read, so when I saw it in a book shop recently I was curious to see if it was as good as I fondly remembered it.
It's not a difficult read, it's easy going. Light, but written well. There are some great, funny parts and good one liners are abundant throughout. It was interesting to see the characters develop throughout the book, they drive the story.
It's written in a format of "diary entries" - the two main characters (husband and wife) take it in turns to write their diaries, opening up their feelings about their inability to conceive a child.
I felt that Lucy started as a strong character but sagged in the middle - Sam's perspective on events was usually funnier and Lucy's sometimes felt it was there just because that was the format being used, and to push the story on.
The ending is fantastic. Not that it's mind-blowingly unpredictable, but it quickly ramps up the emotions and I genuinely felt for the characters. A satisfying read that, particularly at the end, deals with some uncomfortable issues anyone who's been in a relationship will be familiar with. It wraps up happily, though, and who doesn't love a happy ending.
Next, I'm reading Flat Earth News: An Award-Winning Reporter Exposes Falsehood, Distortion and Propaganda in the Global Media
by Nick Davies. I attended a lecture of his and he was fascinating, so I have high hopes for his book.
Absolutely agree with everything you said about Inconceivable; Ben Elton has written some great stuff but perhaps like the character in the book he should have brought in a female writer. As it is was inspired by his and his wife's own struggles with IVF it would be interesting to find out just how much was based on real events.
ReplyDeleteCheck out Dead Famous (it has aged a little in the past five years or so) and Past Mortem. The audiobook of Inconceivable is good with Hugh Laurie as the male reader but avoid the film of it; Maybe Baby - a great cast but bad film.